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Defender

Defender

Shooter, Strategy

Score

Ratings

Published

4.7

37

1981

IGDB critic rating

—
—
—
—

Information

Consoles

Arcade, Web browser, Mac

How Long to Beat

Main story1h

Developer

—

Publisher

Williams Electronics

Game Modes

Single player, Multiplayer

Release Date

Mar 1, 1981

Your Rating & Status

Loading your rating…

Information

Consoles

Arcade, Web browser, Mac

Developer

—

Publisher

Williams Electronics

Game Modes

Single player, Multiplayer

Release Date

Mar 1, 1981

How Long to Beat

—

Rushed

1h

Main story

—

Completionist

Synopsis:

Defender is an arcade video game developed released by Williams Electronics in 1980. A shooting game featuring two-dimensional (2D) graphics, the game is set on a fictional planet where the player must defeat waves of invading aliens while protecting astronauts. Development was led by Eugene Jarvis, a pinball programmer at Williams; Defender was Jarvis's first video game project, and drew inspiration from Space Invaders and Asteroids. Williams planned to display the game at the Amusement & Music Operators Association (AMOA) trade show, though development delays resulted in the team working on the game up until the show started. Defender was commercially successful, selling over 55,000 units to become the company's best selling arcade game. Praise among critics focused on the game's audio-visuals and gameplay. It is frequently listed as one of Jarvis's best contributions to the video game industry, as well as one of the most difficult video games. Defender was ported to numerous platforms, inspired the development of other games, and was followed by sequels and many imitations.

Media

Gameplay Video
Trailer

Gameplay Video

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